1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector. Furthermore, the invention relates to a jig and a method for withdrawing a terminal in a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 12 shows a male connector with a male housing 100 and female connector with a female housing 101. The male housing 100 has a receptacle 102 for accommodating the female housing 101. The female housing 101 has a retainer 103 for locking unillustrated terminal fittings. The retainer 103 can be mounted at a partial locking position, where the retainer 103 is assembled lightly with the female housing 101, and at a full locking position, where the retainer 103 is assembled deeply in the female housing 101 to lock the terminal fittings.
Housing ribs 104A, 104B project up or down from opposite left and right ends of upper and lower outer surfaces 105 of the female housing 101. The projecting ends of the housing ribs 104B on the lower surface are substantially flush with the bottom surface of the retainer 103 when the retainer 103 is at the partial locking position in the female housing 101 (see FIG. 13).
Connectors to be installed in a spatially limited place, such as an engine compartment of an automotive vehicle, sometimes must be small and thin to take up a small space. Under such a circumstance, receptacles of male housings may be made wide and short. Additionally, there has been ongoing progress in recent years to make terminal fittings and housings smaller and to have more contacts. Thus, the receptacle 102 has been made gradually thinner and has become easier to deform. Accordingly, the female housing 101 may undesirably fit into the receptacle 102, as shown in FIG. 13, even if the retainer 103 is at the partial locking position. This problem is likely to occur if the housings 100, 101 are connected in a visually obscured place, such as inside a control panel. In these situations, the connecting operation depends on the feeling of hands, and it is difficult to confirm by hand whether the retainer 103 is at the partial locking position or at the full locking position.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-223238 discloses a connector with a housing and a cavity in the housing. A terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity and is locked by a resiliently deflectable lock. A jig is used to detach the terminal fitting from the housing. The jig has an unlocking portion for deforming the lock and a terminal pushing portion for pushing the terminal fitting backward. The terminal pushing portion is formed integrally on a jig main body. However, the unlocking portion is separate from the jig main body and is assembled with the jig main body via a spring to move forward and back. The jig is inserted toward the lock and the unlocking portion of the jig deforms the lock to cancel the locked state of the terminal fitting. The terminal pushing portion then moves forward relative to the unlocking portion and pushes the terminal fitting out backward.
However, the above-described jig has a large number of parts, and hence has a complicated construction and a high cost.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to provide a connector capable of preventing a housing from being erroneously connected with a mating housing when the housing and a retainer are located at a first position.
The invention relates to a connector with a housing for accommodating at least one terminal fitting. A retainer can be fit in the housing at a first position or a second position. The retainer at the first position is assembled lightly with the housing to permit the insertion and withdrawal of the terminal fittings. The retainer at the second position is assembled deeply with the housing to lock the terminal fittings in the housing. At least one housing rib projects from an outer surface of the housing and can fit into an accommodating groove in a receptacle of a mating housing. The retainer includes at least one retainer rib that projects out beyond the housing rib when the retainer is at the first position. However, the retainer rib does not project beyond the housing rib when the retainer is at the second position. The retainer rib aligns substantially with the housing rib along a connecting direction of the two housings.
The connector is assembled by inserting the retainer to the first locking position in the housing and then mounting the terminal fittings into the housing. The retainer then is pushed to the second locking position. The housings then are connected so that the housing rib fits into the accommodating groove in the receptacle of the mating housing.
An attempt could be made to connect the housings while the retainer is at the first locking position or between the first and second locking positions. In this situation, the retainer rib projects out beyond the housing rib and hence the retainer rib cannot fit into the accommodating groove. Thus, an erroneous assembling of the two housings can be avoided while the retainer is at the first locking position.
The numbers of the housing rib and the retainer rib do not matter and may be one, two or more.
Moreover, it does not matter whether the connector is a female connector or a male connector.
The projecting end of the retainer rib preferably is flush with the housing rib when the retainer is at the full locking position. Thus, the housing rib and the retainer rib smoothly guide the connection of the housings.
The housing may have at least one auxiliary housing rib on an outer surface different from the surface through which the retainer is to be mounted.
Front ends of the housing rib and the auxiliary housing rib preferably are at a substantially same position along the connecting direction.
The housing ribs preferably prevent the housing from being fit into the receptacle of the mating housing while forcibly deforming the receptacle.
The invention also relates to a connector assembly comprising the above-described connector and a mating connector.
The invention also relates to a connector with a housing that has at least one cavity into and from which a terminal fitting can be inserted and withdrawn. The housing has at least one lock for locking the terminal fitting inserted into the cavity. A jig insertion space is defined between the terminal fitting and the lock and a disengaging portion of a jig is insertable into the jig insertion space substantially along inserting and withdrawing directions of the terminal fitting. The terminal fitting has a pushable projection that projects toward the lock and that is pushable by the disengaging portion. A dimension of the jig insertion space along a deforming direction of the lock is smaller than a dimension of the disengaging portion of the jig along the deforming direction of the lock. A difference between the dimension of the jig insertion space and the dimension of the disengaging portion may equal a displacement of the lock needed to cancel the locked state of the terminal fitting.
The terminal fitting can be disengaged from the lock by inserting the disengaging portion of the jig into the jig insertion space from the front and substantially along the insertion and withdrawal directions. A dimension of the jig insertion space along a deforming direction of the lock is less than a dimension of the disengaging portion along the deforming direction of the lock. Additionally, the difference between the dimension of the jig insertion space and the dimension of the disengaging portion substantially equals a displacement of the lock necessary to cancel the locked state of the terminal fitting. Thus, insertion of the disengaging portion to a specified depth resiliently deforms the lock until the locked state of the terminal fitting is canceled. The disengaging portion then engages the pushable projection that projects from the terminal fitting and pushes unlocked terminal fitting back. Accordingly, one disengaging portion resiliently deforms the lock and moves the female terminal fitting back. Thus, the jig is simple and the female terminal fitting can be detached more efficiently than with the prior art jig where these two functions are performed by two special parts.
An introducing part of the lock for introducing the disengaging portion preferably has a slanted guiding surface that is inclined to gradually decrease the dimension of the jig insertion space along the deforming direction of the lock toward the back. Thus, the disengaging portion can be inserted more smoothly into the jig insertion space.
The pushable projection preferably is widened so that a projecting distance thereof increases gradually toward the back, and a slanted guiding surface is formed on an outer surface of the pushable projection for guiding the disengaging portion in an unlocking direction of the lock by sliding in contact with the disengaging portion. Thus, the locked state of the terminal fitting by the lock can be canceled more securely.
The pushable projection preferably is engageable with the lock for locking the terminal fitting. Thus, a locking force for locking the terminal fitting in the locked state can be improved.
The invention also relates to a method for detaching a terminal fitting locked by a lock in a cavity formed in a connector housing. The method comprises inserting a disengaging portion of a jig into a jig insertion space between the terminal fitting and the lock for deforming the lock in an unlocking direction and for canceling a locked state of the terminal fitting. The method then comprises pushing the disengaging portion against a pushable projection of the terminal fitting to move the unlocked terminal fitting backward.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon reading the following description of preferred embodiments and the drawings. Even though embodiments are separately described, single features may be combined to additional embodiments.